


Welcome Home, Theseus

by jusst_peachiie



Series: Sleepy Bois Inc. Oneshots [5]
Category: Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Claustrophobia, Exile, Family, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Manberg-Pogtopia War on Dream Team SMP (Video Blogging RPF), TommyInnit Angst (Video Blogging RPF), Villain Clay | Dream (Video Blogging RPF)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-15
Updated: 2020-12-15
Packaged: 2021-03-10 21:14:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,120
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28063788
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jusst_peachiie/pseuds/jusst_peachiie
Summary: He knew that Tommy wouldn't be intimidated by death forever. So when he needs a new threat to get the boy to do what he wants, he knows exactly how to get to him.A small, inescapable space.He leaves Tommy there, begging to be let out. What he didn't expect, however, was for someone to show up and rescue him.Or,Tommy has claustrophobia and Dream finds out, using it to his advantage. But then someone visits him and helps him.
Relationships: Dave | Technoblade & Phil Watson, Dave | Technoblade & TommyInnit, TommyInnit & Phil Watson (Video Blogging RPF)
Series: Sleepy Bois Inc. Oneshots [5]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2020813
Comments: 17
Kudos: 831
Collections: Completed stories I've read





	Welcome Home, Theseus

**Author's Note:**

> tommy in a box, what will he do?  
> have a fucking mental breakdown.
> 
> the italics are broken,,, p a in,,

Dream found out about Tommy's irrational fear one day in the nether. It was the first time Tommy had been in the hellscape since his exile and he was trying to test his boundaries. He was surprised with how much he'd gotten away with, he was even allowed to be in the hub! 

As they were returning to Logstedshire's portal, a group of piglins spawned and immediately went for Tommy. He was already decently low on health, having been almost blown up by a ghast prior to that. 

"Block in!" Dream shouted at him, attacking the enemies with his sword. 

Tommy, as much as he didn't want to, hurriedly blocked himself in up against some netherrack. It's either that or death, he thought. 

Inside, it was dark, stuffy, and worst of all, small as hell. His breath quickened and he put his hands in his hair. With his back against the warm netherrack, he slowly slid down and sat at the bottom of his little hole. Get me out. Get me out getmeoutgetmeout--his panicked thoughts were barely heard over the quick pounding of his heart. 

Before he spiraled down into a full-blown panic attack, he tried to calm himself down. It's okay, you don't have to be in here for much longer, he told himself. He tried to regulate his breathing, harsh, shaky gasps turning into softer sighs after a few failed attempts. He felt his heart begin to slow down to a more normal rate, although it was still heightened. 

"--my! Tommy! It's safe, what are you--" he heard Dream call out for him. The man mined into Tommy's small, 1x1 room. The boy stood up quickly, averting his eyes from Dream as he mined away the rest of the cobblestone containing him in that tiny space. 

Tommy was beyond relieved to be out of that small space, and Dream noticed. He saw the panicked look in the boy's eyes when he mined away the cobblestone, and he knew exactly why he was scared. As Tommy rushed to get back home, back to Logsted, he followed behind him, making sure no other mobs interfered. I can use that, he thought, referring to Tommy's obvious claustrophobia. 

\------------

"You know the drill, Tommy," he smiled, digging a hole for the boy's armour. 

"No," he defied, "I don't want to." 

"Tommy," he took out his sword, pointing it to the other's neck. "Your armour." 

"Do it," he encouraged, lifting up his head, giving the blade even more access to his exposed neck. 

Damnit, Dream thought. He lowered his sword, and instead took out some obsidian. He knew the other would stop complying under the threat of death eventually, anyone could tell how broken the boy was. Silently, he started building a small, 1x1 room, just like the one Tommy was forced into in the nether. The other only watched him, a confused look on his face. An iron door was placed, and he could feel his stomach drop. 

No, no way he knows, Tommy thought, but before he could do anything, the pickaxe in his hands was ripped from him. "Wait, wait, Dream--" his voice shook as the other grabbed him by the shoulders and shoved him into the obsidian prison. "Dream, wait, please--" he called out desperately as the door shut behind him.

Shit. Shit, shit, shitshitshit, Tommy thought. "Dream, please, let me out. I-I'll listen, I swear--" the world seemed to close in on him and he felt as if he couldn't breathe. He was on the verge of tears, his eyes becoming glossy and wide. 

"Please Dream!" he begged, "Please, help me, get--get me out!" He pounded on the door, holding back a sob. It became increasingly obvious that he would only be let out whenever Dream felt like it, however that didn't stop his pleas. 

Tommy didn't know when he'd be let out, or if Dream was even there anymore. He hadn't heard anything from the other side of the door since he'd been shoved in. The only sounds he heard were from himself, whether it was a plea to be let out or a sob or a pounding on the door, it all only came from him. He pressed his back against the cool obsidian, slowly sliding down until he was sitting on the floor. Tommy frantically wiped away his tears, but this action was futile as the tears were almost instantly replaced. "Please, Dream... I-I'm scared," he sobbed, his voice scratchy and hoarse from endless panicked begging. 

Tommy would have been sat there for another ten minutes, softly sobbing and whispering a "please" or "help me" subconsciously every so often. It was at this moment that he heard it. Footsteps. He gasped, rubbed his eyes, and stood up. Please, please say someone is going to help me. "Hello?" 

"Tommy? Where are ya?" 

He knew that voice. 

_Phil. ___

__"Ph--Dad, oh my god, please--please get me out of here," he whimpered, ready to start crying again._ _

__"Are you in here--?" He could hear his change in tone, could hear the sudden burst of concern in his voice._ _

__The door opens._ _

__"Dad--!" He cried out. Tommy immediately clung onto the other, leaning his head on his shoulder. Soft sobs escaped him as he held onto the other, as if he'd lose him forever if he let go._ _

__Phil gently stroked his hair, whispering to him, "Hey, it's okay, shhh, shhshhshhh. I got you, you're okay, Tommy." He knew about the boy's claustrophobia, which meant he also knew Tommy would never put himself in this position intentionally. So who the fuck did?_ _

__"Try to breathe with me, alright? Deep breaths, c'mon, you got this," he encouraged. He took a deep breath, then had Tommy follow. He couldn't really do it at first, it came out shaky and ragged and he couldn't breathe out correctly, as he was interrupted by a sob. "Shh, that's okay. Try again, alright? You're doing so good." He snook a peak at Techno, who'd been standing there awkwardly the entire time. He made a gesture saying, 'what do I do?' and Phil shook his head, telling him not to interfere for now._ _

__Tommy tried taking another deep breath, this one more successful than the last. "Good, good..." Phil quietly encouraged, rubbing his back. Tommy was able to breathe almost normally after a few more failed attempts, but still continued to quietly cry into his shoulder. It was Phil who had to pull away to get a better look at him. He gently cupped his face with both hands, examining the broken boy in front of him._ _

__Tommy was, simply put, not in the best state. There was dirt on his face and hands and bags under his eyes. Speaking of his eyes... They look so dull, Phil thought, frowning. His hair had visibly grown and needed to be cut, and his clothes were ragged and dirty. Not to mention, he looked so scared, it hurt Phil so much to see him like this. "Oh, Tommy..." He frowned, wiping away his tears with his thumbs, "my poor boy." He pulled him in for another hug, directing Tommy's head to his shoulder with his hand. He began to gently stroke his hair once again, knowing that was something that calmed Tommy down._ _

__"Dad, I don't wanna be exiled anymore. I wanna--I wanna go home," he cried softly._ _

__"Shh, I know. God knows you don't deserve all of this," he kissed the top of his head. Phil wished it was up to him, but there really wasn't anything he could do to allow Tommy back into the Dream SMP. But there is something else I could do, isn't there? He thought. "Come home with us, Toms. It's outside of the SMP, you'll be safe there," he offered, pulling away from the hug._ _

__At first, Tommy looked happy. His face lit up and his frown turned into that of a grateful smile, before he realised, "Wait, us?"_ _

__"Hello, Theseus," Techno greeted from behind him, a teasing smile on his face._ _

__"OH MY--" Tommy started, then groaned out the rest of his sudden burst of anger, putting his face in his hands and leaning into Phil's chest. "Whyyyyyyy," he practically whined, "You've already made your point Techno, you were right, go away."_ _

__"I'm not here to tease you--well, okay, I was at first--but that was before we actually got here and...y'know," he explained vaguely, with even more vague hand gestures. Tommy stayed right where he was, hidden in Phil's chest, not wanting to face his older brother. Maybe I can just pretend he's not there, he thought half-jokingly._ _

__"Toms, I know you're not really a fan of Techno right now, but please just stay with us?" Phil asked again, and the boy pulled away from him, now facing both of them._ _

__He glanced around the area, trying to see if a certain someone was listening in. "I... I can't."_ _

__"Why not...? It's outside of the SMP."_ _

__"I just can't."_ _

__"Tell us why, please? I only want to help you, I just wanna help my son."_ _

__"...I don't think Dream would like that." Tommy admitted, fidgeting with his hands. When he looked at the two, he immediately saw the hidden anger in their expressions and frowned. I upset them, he thought._ _

__"Y'know what? I don't give a fuck about what Dream thinks. His rules were that you couldn't enter the SMP. C'mon, I'm bringing my son home." Phil said, taking off his overcoat and placing it on Tommy's shoulders before pulling him by the arm in the direction of Techno's home. The other two followed, the trek to his hidden base quickly becoming a silent one._ _

__Tommy was overthinking and was beginning to panic because of this. What'll Dream do when he finds out? I hope he's not too mad... He thought. He knew, deep down, he really wanted to go with them, and was eternally grateful that they showed up when they did. He was even happy to see Techno, although he wouldn't admit it for a million years._ _

__He was grateful that Phil had previously gave him his overcoat, for they'd just entered a freezing, Antarctican-like biome covered in a white blanket of snow. "Sorry I didn't bring you more clothes, I wasn't exactly expecting to bring ya here," Phil apologized._ _

__" 'S fine."_ _

__He frowned, Tommy was usually so talkative and bursting with energy. It hurt Phil to see his son like this, quiet and exhausted, secluded from everyone else. What did he even do to deserve that? He asked himself, unintentionally staring at Tommy with a frown. The boy noticed, turning to face him. "What is it?"_ _

__"Oh, hm?" He snapped out of his thoughts._ _

__"You were staring..."_ _

__"Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to."_ _

__Phil just wanted to wrap Tommy up in his arms and never let go. He just wanted to hold onto his son and keep him from harm and tell him everything would be okay. He wanted Tommy to confide in him and tell him what was wrong. He wanted bright, loud, energetic Tommy._ _

__Phil just wanted his son back._ _

__But as he glanced back at the broken boy, he knew he'd never really be the same again. Pictures of war crossed Phil's mind, of bloodshed and betrayal, and he frowned, his boy had gone through so much. And his exile hadn't helped one bit. Even if Tommy got help--which he would, Phil would make sure of it--he wouldn't be exactly Good Ol' Tommy, would he?_ _

__"Aaaaand, we're here! Welcome home, Theseus," Techno announced, gesturing to the decently sized cottage-like structure in front of them._ _

__Tommy let out a groan, "Stop calling me that." He hurried inside, wanting a shield from the cold. It's fucking freezing, he thought._ _

__"Why? It's funny," the other snickered, following behind him._ _

__Phil shut the door behind him, immediately throwing some coal in the fireplace for Tommy, then excusing himself to go find clothes for him, leaving the two brothers alone._ _

__"I can't really believe I actually left," Tommy thought aloud, sitting criss-crossed in front of the fireplace, holding Phil's coat close to him. "...Shit, Dream's going to be so fucking mad. I shouldn't have left--"_ _

__"No. For all we know, Dream could've left you in there to die. And plus, who gives a shit what he thinks? I can take him," Techno reassured, gesturing with the purple sword in his hand._ _

__"But--"_ _

__"No buts, Tommy. It's not even against the rules he set. Did he ever tell you that you couldn't come here?" The other hesitantly shook his head at the question, "See? You're fine, Tommy. And even if he does try something, me and Phil will beat his ass." That caused a small laugh to escape from the boy, and Techno smiled. He really did miss his brother--not that he'd ever tell him, or anyone, for that matter._ _

__At that moment, Phil returned with a neatly folded pile of clothes. Tommy almost felt warmer just looking at them. "Here, there's a bathroom upstairs you can change in," he said, handing him the clothes, and the boy was gone._ _

__Phil entered their kitchen, grabbing three mugs and putting on two hot chocolates and a coffee for Techno._ _

__A minute or so later, Tommy descended the stairs in an extremely similar outfit to the ones the other two had on. He wasn't wearing the overcoat, however, a pale blue 'cloak'--really, it only came down to the middle of your arm--that had white fur surrounding the collar. Maybe it was too regal-looking for him, Tommy did always prefer casual clothing over dressing like royalty. Literally. At least some things haven't changed about him, Phil thought._ _

__He handed the boy his hot chocolate, who gladly accepted it and opted for sitting back on the floor in front of the fireplace. Phil and Techno decided to join him, sitting on either side of him._ _

__The three sat in silence, quietly sipping away their warm beverages. They all stared at the crackling fire, feeling the warmth of it radiate on their faces. Tommy thought about a lot. He thought about Dream, and what he would do if he ever came back to Logstedshire. He wondered if he'd see the small obsidian prison again. He wondered if he'd see Tubbo again._ _

__He leans his head on Phil's shoulder, who in return leans his head on his. There was so much on his mind, he was remembering everything at once, it was like his brain had fogged up and stopped working. He only got glances into these memories, all of them at once being too overwhelming. He couldn't focus on just one thing, one moment he was thinking about the Festival, the next he was thinking about the 16th._ _

__His thoughts were interrupted as Techno's hand waved right in front of his face. "Tommy? You good? You kinda spaced out there," he said, pulling his hand back._ _

__"...Yeah, yeah, sorry about that," he said after a moment. "Just thinkin'."_ _

__"Uh oh, that can't be good. What's on your mind?" Phil spoke up, hoping he wasn't intruding too much._ _

__"Everything," he stated blankly, "It was like when you try to recall a lot of memories at once and they all kinda just break your brain and fog it all up."_ _

__"Oh. Well, I asked ya somethin', y'know," Techno said, not really knowing how to respond to that, so instead he just changed the subject._ _

__"What?"_ _

__"How do you feel about sleeping with my cow in the basement?"_ _

__"WHA--" Tommy started, jolting up from off of Phil's shoulder. He was about ready to start stabbing shit._ _

__"It's a joke! It's a joke!" Techno laughed, putting his hands up in defense. "I got a room for ya, don't worry." While building the house, he made four rooms. One for him, two for Phil and Tommy, and a guest bedroom (that he secretly wished Wilbur could stay in)._ _

__After a moment of comfortable silence, the mood of the conversation changed when Tommy asked, "Guys, what do we do if Dream finds us? God, he'll be so mad at me..." He trailed off, staring down into his hot chocolate, the mug warm against his hands._ _

__"We'll beat the hell out of him," Phil stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world, which Tommy couldn't even begin to comprehend how easily he'd come to that conclusion._ _

__"That's exactly what I said!" Techno chucked, and the other two followed. Once they'd all settled down, the youngest leaned his head on Phil's shoulder once again, yawning. He wondered if tonight would be different; if he'd be able to sleep._ _

__"Tired, aren't we?" Phil smiled, gently taking the mug from him and setting it on a table. "C'mon, let's get you to bed," he patted Tommy's back before standing up, and then gave the other his hand. Pulling the boy up, he led him to his room while Techno cleaned the mugs._ _

__Tommy's room was mostly bare, only consisting of the necessities: a bed, a dresser, a nightstand, and two windows. The boy entered the room while Phil stayed in the doorframe. Before he entered, though, he turned around and gave the other a long-lasting hug, resting his head on his shoulder. "Thank you," he said, only holding him tighter, "thank you so much."_ _

__"Oh, Toms, of course... " Phil said, returning the hug and rubbing his back. The contact lasted for a few more moments, Phil kissing the top of his head, before the boy pulled away. "Get some sleep, yeah? You look exhausted," he ruffled his hair._ _

__"Night, Theseus," Techno jumped in, standing partially behind Phil in the doorframe._ _

__"Ughhhh," Tommy groaned, "stop calling me that..."_ _

__"Okay, okay--that was the last time, I swear," he laughed, patting the top of the boy's head._ _

__Tommy sighed, holding back a smile. The three of them all said goodnight to each other before Phil and Techno left, shutting off the light and closing the door._ _

__Tommy climbed into bed, the covers soft and warm. Holy shit, this is so goddamn comfortable, he thought. Had it really been so long since he'd slept in a real bed instead of a tent? The room was quiet and dark, so quiet that he could almost hear Phil and Techno who were speaking in hushed voices in another room. He didn't really care for what they were saying, even if they were most likely talking about him. He'd already began to feel drowsy, the soft sheets and pillows lulling him to sleep. He wanted to worry about Dream later, for now, he just wanted some sleep._ _

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by a comic by @/Schmeckdoesstuff on twt! Go check her out, she has such nice art!!
> 
> Might make more abt tommy adjusting to living w phil and techno, and maybe dream finding them? 👁👁
> 
> If i do it'll be removed from my oneshot book and made its own work!!


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